


Inevitability

by AliceStar



Category: Free!
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6563836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceStar/pseuds/AliceStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin and Haru getting together was inevitable. But that didn't make it hurt Makoto and Nitori any less.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inevitability

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this chapter like a year ago, but I'm still quite fond of it. I got stuck writing the second chapter because I was trying too hard to make sure everything lined up with canon, but if anyone's interested, and can suspend their disbelief a little about Japanese swim club schedules, I'd be happy to continue this.  
> Enjoy!

He saw it coming. He always had. But that didn’t mean it couldn’t still tear him apart.

Makoto Tachibana, third year at Iwatobi High School, was heartbroken.  
The boy he’d had a crush on as a child, and fallen in love with as a high-schooler, had been a loner for his whole life until now. The words on Makoto’s cell phone screen glowed far too gleefully, not knowing what they meant to the boy reading them.  
“Rin and I are dating now.”  
And that was that. No warning, no explanation, just one sentence expressing that the inevitable had finally happened.  
For a moment, Makoto thought he was going to be okay. The numbness that overcame him as he read that one, simple sentence deceived him into thinking he might be alright with what had happened. But that ended almost as quickly as it had started.  
The tears came fast and fell hard, and his hands clenched into fists as he curled into himself. He had always been such a selfless person, especially around Haru, but that day, he allowed himself to be selfish. He stayed in his room for hours on end, ignoring his siblings’ calls for help with their homework and his parents’ calls for him to come eat dinner. When he finally emerged, only for a moment before shutting himself in the bathroom, the bags under his eyes and the weight of his steps dissuaded his family from trying to speak with him.  
The shower he took was long and cold, his last bit of denial begging for the water to wake him up from the nightmare he was living. But after an hour and a slow, defeated sigh, he shut the water off, lazily wrapped himself in a towel, and trudged back to his room—keeping his eyes open just long enough to slip on some pajamas and fall into bed; hoping, pleading with his brain to give him dreams that would lift his spirits, if only for a few moments.

\--

Nitori had left his dorm room unceremoniously after his roommate, Momotarou, had brought in yet another beetle, this one much more terrifying than any of the previous ones. He was walking around the outside of the building to clear his head, when he heard two familiar voices from around the corner. Not wanting to interrupt, he stopped before turning the corner. Then, realizing whose voices they were, he held his breath and listened closely.  
“Why did you call me here, Rin? What’s so important you couldn’t just tell me over the phone? It’s pretty unusual for you to do something like this.”  
It was Haruka-senpai’s voice. Nitori thought to himself that he had never heard him speak so much at once. Maybe it was because he and Rin were so close?  
Rin’s voice came next. He paused for what seemed like a long time before finally saying, ”Listen, Haru. I… I know that you haven’t decided on your future yet. That’s fine with me. But there’s one thing I want to know your decision on.” Haru’s face visibly darkened, his eyes narrowing and his lips pressing tightly together. When he finally spoke, his voice wavered as he asked, ”What?”  
Rin took a deep breath in and clenched his teeth. He spoke very carefully, using words Nitori could tell were chosen beforehand. “No matter what you decide to do, I want to be with you while you do it. I want to be the thing that is certain for you during all of this uncertainty you’re going through.” 

Rin paused for a second, and Haru’s eyes slowly widened as he realized what Rin was saying. Haru opened his mouth to speak, but Rin cut him off. “Haru. Be my—“  
He struggled for a moment, finding the word ‘boyfriend’ to be rather embarrassing. Regaining his composure, he said firmly,” Go out with me.”  
Rin’s blushing, nervous face betrayed his confident tone. Haru seemed to stay frozen in shock for quite some time before he smiled and looked up at Rin. “Of course I will. Dumbass.”  
Rin’s eyes and smile widened at the speed of light and he wasted no time before embracing Haru, laughing and almost jumping up and down like a little kid whose mother told him he would be getting a puppy. Haru rolled his eyes but grinned nonetheless, and he patted Rin’s back gently. “Alright, alright. Calm down. It’s not like you won the lottery or anything.” Rin laughed and pulled away, saying proudly, ”You’re right! It’s even better!”  
Haru blushed and looked away, muttering, “idiot” under his breath, but grinning despite himself.  


Nitori heard the two chuckling merrily together as he ran away as quietly as he could. He had heard enough. His heart had cracked the moment he heard the way Rin spoke to Haru, and by the end of it all, it was shattered beyond repair.  
He ran all the way back to his dorm room without thinking, opening the door quickly and slamming it behind him. He put his back to the door, sliding down it slowly with this face in his hands. As he hit the ground with a thud, Momo’s head popped up from the top bunk. He hopped to the ground with a curious expression and crouched next to Nitori.  
“Nitori-senpai!” he yelled, then, recognizing Nitori’s expression, whispered, “Ah… Nitori-senpai? Are you alright? Did I yell too loud?”  
Nitori sighed and propped his head up on his arms, shaking his head slightly as he began to speak. “No, Mikoshiba-kun, you didn’t yell too loud—though I’d prefer if you didn’t do it again.” Momotarou blushed slightly and replied, “Sorry, sorry. I’ll try my best. But…” he tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows, “why the long face?”  
Nitori’s eyes fell to stare blankly at his shoes, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought about whether or not he should tell Momo what he’d heard outside. Considering the fact that the relationship wasn’t exactly public knowledge yet, and being this upset about it would reveal a certain amount about his feelings for Rin, Nitori decided against it.  
“I just overheard something I probably shouldn’t have, that’s all.” He said, “It’s nothing that you should be worried about. I’ll be fine.” He mentally cringed. That last part was such a massive lie. There was no way in hell he was going to be okay. But he would have to pretend to be, at least for now. Now, the moment he most wanted to break loose from the shackles of his quiet persona and honestly release the feelings he had into tears and shouts and bruises, he could not. Nor could he blame anyone for it. This was the most alone he had ever felt.  
He heard Momotarou murmur some kind of half-hearted acceptance of his explanation as he rose from his spot against the door and collapsed into his bed, throwing his earbuds in and not bothering to change into pajamas before drifting off into uneasy slumber.


End file.
